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Utah State has to switch gears faster than Dale Earnhart Jr.
Coming off an exhilarating 72-61 win over Weber State in their season opener Friday night, the Aggies visit Illinois State on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Utah State practiced lightly Saturday in Logan before flying to Illinois, although coach Stew Morrill said the comeback victory over Weber State made the hectic schedule less imposing.
"It's always easier to travel when you win," he explained. "A lot easier."
Utah State's win over Weber was so invigorating, in fact, the Aggies probably could have flown to Illinois State without an airplane.
The Wildcats dominated the first half and built a 47-29 lead. The Aggies appeared so hopelessly beaten that Morrill didn't talk about victory at halftime. He spoke only on playing better and proving to the fans at the Spectrum — and to themselves — they are a capable Division I team.
Utah State did much more.
The Aggies scored the first 8 points of the second half. They took their first lead when David Collette's dunk made it 55-53 with 9:58 remaining and pulled away from there.
Utah State's zone defense limited Weber State to 14 second-half points, including 4 in the final minute, when the outcome had been determined.
"We got on our heels, and they won the second half like we won the first half," Weber State coach Randy Rahe said. "... We learned a good lesson. Human nature is you're up at halftime and you tend to be less aggressive and think everything is OK. We have a young team, and, like I said, we learned a valuable lesson."
For Utah State, Illinois State will be another difficult opponent.
Last season, the Redbirds finished 18-16 overall and 9-9 in the rugged Missouri Valley Conference.
Illinois State returns four starters from that team, including senior guard Daishon Knight, who was their leading scorer (13.2 ppg). Another top player is sophomore center Reggie Lynch, who averaged 8.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots last season. —
Utah State at Illinois State
P At Redbird Arena
Tipoff • 3 p.m.
TV • none
Radio • 610-AM, 102.1-FM
Records • Utah State 1-0; Illinois State 0-0
Series • Tied, 3-3
Last meeting • Utah State, 70-61 (2013)
About the Aggies • All-time, they are 15-13 against Missouri Valley Conference teams.
About the Redbirds • They return four starters from a year ago, when they finished 18-16 overall and 9-9 in the league. ... Senior G Daishon Knight averaged a team-high 13.2 points last season.